COVID-19 Leads To Closure Of 3 Catholic Elementary Schools On LI

LONG ISLAND, NY — The Diocese of Rockville Centre announced that three Catholic elementary schools on Long Island will not be reopening for the Fall 2020 semester. The diocese wrote in a statement on social media that the closure is due to the financial impact on parishes and schools created by the coronavirus pandemic.

As a result, Holy Family Regional School in Commack, Our Lady of Wisdom Regional School in Port Jefferson and Saint Peter of Alcantara Elementary School in Port Washington will close at the end of this school year.

"The Diocese of Rockville Centre thanks each and every one of the dedicated and committed principals and teachers, both lay and religious, who have taught in these schools since their inception," Sean P. Dolan, Director of Communications for the Diocese of Rockville Centre said.

In a press release, the diocese stated that changing demographics and increased competition from public and secular private schools have contributed to ongoing declines in Catholic school enrollment nationwide.

"In schools that have faced significant enrollment declines, there has been a growing requirement for parish financial support to the school," the press release read. "While these financial pressures existed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of the crisis on our school families and parish communities have placed significant burden on already-struggling schools."

The diocese stated that students from the three schools will be welcomed into any Catholic elementary school in the Diocese of Rockville Centre. School officials and representatives of the Department of Education will assist parents and students in the process of selecting and transferring to any of the Catholic Schools on Long Island.

"We are deeply saddened by the closings of these three elementary schools," Dolan said. "COVID-19 has had a significant financial impact on all of the parishes and schools within the Diocese, resulting in the difficult decision to close these three Catholic elementary schools in order to eliminate the unsustainable financial stress on their parishes.”

While all the schools have experienced a sharp decline in enrollment over the last several years, Dolan stated that the enrollment decline combined with the impact of COVID-19 on both parish
offertory collections and tuition collections, and fundraising efforts, has made it difficult to maintain the schools financially.

Between 2014 and 2020 school year, Holy Family Regional School has seen enrollment drop 43 percent to 139 students in Kindergarten through 8th grade and 38 percent to 162 students in nursery through 8th grade. In the current school year, the four supporting parishes are anticipated to provide in excess of $400,000 in operating support, which accounts for more than 30 percent of the school’s total revenues.

During that same time period, Our Lady of Wisdom Regional School has seen enrollment decrease 37 percent to 66 students in Kindergarten through 8th grade and 31 percent to 79 students in nursery through 8th grade. In the current school year, the four supporting parishes are anticipated to provide approximately $475,000 in operating support, which accounts for more than 45 percent of the school’s total revenues.

Finally, in the past six years, Saint Peter of Alcantara School has seen enrollment decline 52 percent to 99 students in Kindergarten through 8th grade and 36 percent to 176 students in nursery through 8th grade. In the 2018- 19 school year, the school received more than $220,000 in support from the parish and diocese.

A special hotline, 516-280-4124, and dedicated email address, education@drvc.org, have also been established for comments and questions during this time.